Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-10
TURNING A PENNY.
NOW A BARkeNTlNE'S STEWARD
VCTUAleD FOR A VOYAGE.

leans, Dried Fruit and Chickens-Onions
Iorgotten-what the Captain said-In
Dead Calm-A Serious sitsation-A
0ese Call.
The barkentine Maple Leaf in 1872 was
Engaged in trade between New York and
3razil. Her cargoes south were a miscel-
1nneous assortment of domestic goods, and
- the homeward trip she usually carried
kf6es and horns. l was on my second
mp rs supercargo, and, with q Yankees
0ntural turn for speculation, saw an OPP
0nrtunity to turn q penny" Space ON
cupboard, like space in q widely circu-
lnked newspaper, Is very valuable. As
0percargo | was also steward and cook,
cd the galley, with its lockers, was my
parsonal domain. AS steward il was my
which might last four or ever five months,
eut which was usually performed in from
1prty TO seventy days. When fully
vSctualed for the longest possible voyage,
- the rules required, there was hardly
room in the galley or storeroom ITO stick
apin."
In Pernambuco / had seen clear horns
ooad at ten cents each and cloudy ones for
sven and even less. knew also that
their value in New York at that time was
1rom thirty to twenty-five cents. l pos
ssssed four doubloons, about $50, and
Quietly invested the sum in horns. / had
tAem conveyed on board surreptitiously as
provisions and stored in the darkest
portion OF the storeroom. Then | victualed
the vessel with beans, rice, dried fruit
such articles rs were not calculated to de-
cay in an equatorial climate and which
possessed the desirable property.ot swell
ing" during culinary preparation. As Q
tempting attraction, and TO encourage the
Sdea that l was q good provider," W
eoops Of eighty chickens cackled and
squawked on the quarter deck, and l had
10 trouble In persuading the sailors 70
take charge OF q large bag of chicken feed
for the s%ustenance OF the fowls until they
should be needed from time to time for
pot pies. Thus provisioned, with the Gus
tomary amount Of salt meat aud -four,
90 cleared from Pernambuco for New
Y@k.
THE DENoUEMENT.
Tolerably fair sailing weather lasted
until we were off the Isle " Pines, and
then for eleven days the barkentine did
not move pa inch. The eighty chickens,
IKE the last rose of summer, were faded
md gone. Then / began to exercise all
The culinary art I possessed in making the
STAPLES palatable. One day, however,
he captain remarked that he had seen no
ynms. Vans were 3 bulky vegetable. and
i had given up their space TO the horns.
4 said / could find only indifferent yams
n the Pernambuco market, and was sure
fhey would spoil in crossing the equator.
"But onions" said the captain; you
have onionsS'
Unfortunately | had forgotten onions.
'Let me see what you have" said he,
lssding the way down into the galley. /
Was aware that the denouement was com
ing, and so lighted o small lamp and led
ne way straight to the horns. Hitherto,
Capt. Ellsworth had always profcssed
friendship for me; but when he saw the
stature of my p~rovisions-the vessel thirty
O. forty days from port and in a dead
salm-he exhibited symptoms of decided
impatience.
"If were to tell the crew of what |
have seem" said he, ''they would throw
you overheard"
Time hangs heavily on ones hands
when becalmed at sea, even under the
most favorable circumstances; hut TO a
steward who is likely to starye his mess
mates through his own folly 1t is simply
thtolerable. Had ! not awakened on the
1pllowing morning "a find the vessel bowl
ing along before a clipping breeze l think
! might have saved the crew the trouble of
seeding me 10 the sharks.
On the day that we reached New York,
and while the barkentine was passing
through Hell Gate, the captain anne for
ward 10 where | was leaning over the rail
and said in a low and confidential tone.
Steward, how much longer could you
have served full r~ationsih
"Till dinner time Tomorrow" l
0Wered.-Detroit Free Press.